Ex-county official targeted in lawsuit

4th female plaintiff alleges harassment in the workplace

Former Community Corrections director Dan Boisot.

A fourth woman has filed a federal lawsuit against Tuscaloosa County and the county's former Community Corrections director Dan Boisot.

Tuscaloosa News

By Stephanie TaylorStaff Writer

Published: Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 4:25 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 5:32 p.m.

A fourth woman has filed a federal lawsuit against Tuscaloosa County and the county's former Community Corrections director Dan Boisot.

Ramona Nelson claims in the suit that Boisot sexually harassed her between 2003 and 2011, when he was suspended.

Boisot, 65, was suspended after being charged with two counts of sodomy, two counts of attempted sodomy, four counts of extortion, four counts of using his position for personal gain and 11 counts of sexual abuse against four victims. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

"My client stands on his plea of not guilty, and we expect complete exoneration," said Birmingham attorney Jonathan Cross, who is representing Boisot in the criminal case.

Tuscaloosa County Community Corrections controls the county's electronic monitoring, drug court supervision, community service and drug testing programs. Nelson worked as a program manager there from 2003 to 2012.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court Tuesday claims that Boisot made unwanted sexual advances, exposed himself to Nelson and forcefully touched her on several occasions.

He once "slammed her against the wall" and put his hand over her mouth when she screamed, Tuscaloosa attorney LuAnn Springer wrote in the complaint. "Mrs. Nelson would resist and he would sometimes grip her arms to the point that he left bruises."

According to the lawsuit, Boisot began harassing Nelson after she had worked for the corrections program for three months by telling her dirty jokes and asking personal questions about her marriage and why she didn't have children.

"Boisot called her in to his office 10 or 12 times daily and would lock the door so she could not leave," Springer wrote. "Mrs. Nelson wanted to resist all of his comments and actions, but he was a big man and he could and did hurt her. Also, she knew if she ‘acted up', he would make her life at work much more difficult."

The suit claims that Tuscaloosa County administrators knew of the alleged harassment but did nothing to address it.

County Attorney Robert Spence declined to comment Thursday. Taffi Stewart, a Birmingham attorney who is representing Boisot in the other civil suits, also declined to comment.

Nelson was one of three women who filed a federal suit against Boisot in 2003, claiming that he subjected them to unwanted sexual advances. According to that suit, they refused the advances and he retaliated by threatening to transfer or terminate them.

The 2003 lawsuit also claimed that the women filed complaints with the county and that the county investigated but otherwise failed to respond. Boisot filed a countersuit against the women and one of their husbands, claiming that they injured his personal and professional reputation by spreading what he said were false statements. He dropped that suit in 2004.

Nelson dropped out of the 2003 lawsuit, and the case was dropped after a judge later ruled that the complaints of the remaining plaintiffs did not qualify as sexual harassment.

The Alabama Bureau of Investigation presented evidence from an investigation to a grand jury that indicted Boisot in 2011. He was arrested Sept. 29, 2011, on the 23-count indictment. An out-of-town judge has been assigned to the case, which is being prosecuted by the Alabama Office of Prosecution Service in Montgomery. All Tuscaloosa County Circuit judges and the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney's Office recused themselves from the case because they all worked with Boisot when he was Community Corrections director.

Nelson was fired Feb. 7, 2012 after a man under the supervision of the Community Corrections program was charged in a shooting that injured six people at a Tuscaloosa apartment complex. Before the shooting incident, Nelson and the new program director discovered that the man had a half-full bottle of urine when he showed up for a scheduled urine test.

Springer wrote in the lawsuit that Nelson followed program procedure when she assigned him a new date for a urine test and increased his reporting frequency, rather than having him arrested. The man was accused in the shooting on Feb. 3, and Nelson was fired four days later.

"Mrs. Nelson was singled out to be dismissed because only she and one other sexual harassment complainant/witness remained employed by TCCC," she wrote in the complaint. "It is clear to Mrs. Nelson that her employment was terminated due to TCCC's efforts to rid itself of all employees who complained and testified regarding sexual abuse that occurred at the work place."

In February 2012, two other former employees filed a suit alleging that Boisot forced them to perform sexual acts. Another suit filed in March 2012 by another former employee represented by Springer claims that Boisot made unwelcome advances to her and made similar statements about her clothing and body.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reviewed Nelson's claims in the case and in December granted her the right to sue under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

<p>A fourth woman has filed a federal lawsuit against Tuscaloosa County and the county's former Community Corrections director Dan Boisot. </p><p>Ramona Nelson claims in the suit that Boisot sexually harassed her between 2003 and 2011, when he was suspended. </p><p>Boisot, 65, was suspended after being charged with two counts of sodomy, two counts of attempted sodomy, four counts of extortion, four counts of using his position for personal gain and 11 counts of sexual abuse against four victims. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.</p><p>"My client stands on his plea of not guilty, and we expect complete exoneration," said Birmingham attorney Jonathan Cross, who is representing Boisot in the criminal case.</p><p>Tuscaloosa County Community Corrections controls the county's electronic monitoring, drug court supervision, community service and drug testing programs. Nelson worked as a program manager there from 2003 to 2012.</p><p>The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court Tuesday claims that Boisot made unwanted sexual advances, exposed himself to Nelson and forcefully touched her on several occasions.</p><p>He once "slammed her against the wall" and put his hand over her mouth when she screamed, Tuscaloosa attorney LuAnn Springer wrote in the complaint. "Mrs. Nelson would resist and he would sometimes grip her arms to the point that he left bruises." </p><p>According to the lawsuit, Boisot began harassing Nelson after she had worked for the corrections program for three months by telling her dirty jokes and asking personal questions about her marriage and why she didn't have children.</p><p>"Boisot called her in to his office 10 or 12 times daily and would lock the door so she could not leave," Springer wrote. "Mrs. Nelson wanted to resist all of his comments and actions, but he was a big man and he could and did hurt her. Also, she knew if she 'acted up', he would make her life at work much more difficult."</p><p>The suit claims that Tuscaloosa County administrators knew of the alleged harassment but did nothing to address it.</p><p>County Attorney Robert Spence declined to comment Thursday. Taffi Stewart, a Birmingham attorney who is representing Boisot in the other civil suits, also declined to comment.</p><p>Nelson was one of three women who filed a federal suit against Boisot in 2003, claiming that he subjected them to unwanted sexual advances. According to that suit, they refused the advances and he retaliated by threatening to transfer or terminate them.</p><p>The 2003 lawsuit also claimed that the women filed complaints with the county and that the county investigated but otherwise failed to respond. Boisot filed a countersuit against the women and one of their husbands, claiming that they injured his personal and professional reputation by spreading what he said were false statements. He dropped that suit in 2004. </p><p>Nelson dropped out of the 2003 lawsuit, and the case was dropped after a judge later ruled that the complaints of the remaining plaintiffs did not qualify as sexual harassment. </p><p>The Alabama Bureau of Investigation presented evidence from an investigation to a grand jury that indicted Boisot in 2011. He was arrested Sept. 29, 2011, on the 23-count indictment. An out-of-town judge has been assigned to the case, which is being prosecuted by the Alabama Office of Prosecution Service in Montgomery. All Tuscaloosa County Circuit judges and the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney's Office recused themselves from the case because they all worked with Boisot when he was Community Corrections director.</p><p>Nelson was fired Feb. 7, 2012 after a man under the supervision of the Community Corrections program was charged in a shooting that injured six people at a Tuscaloosa apartment complex. Before the shooting incident, Nelson and the new program director discovered that the man had a half-full bottle of urine when he showed up for a scheduled urine test. </p><p>Springer wrote in the lawsuit that Nelson followed program procedure when she assigned him a new date for a urine test and increased his reporting frequency, rather than having him arrested. The man was accused in the shooting on Feb. 3, and Nelson was fired four days later. </p><p>"Mrs. Nelson was singled out to be dismissed because only she and one other sexual harassment complainant/witness remained employed by TCCC," she wrote in the complaint. "It is clear to Mrs. Nelson that her employment was terminated due to TCCC's efforts to rid itself of all employees who complained and testified regarding sexual abuse that occurred at the work place."</p><p>In February 2012, two other former employees filed a suit alleging that Boisot forced them to perform sexual acts. Another suit filed in March 2012 by another former employee represented by Springer claims that Boisot made unwelcome advances to her and made similar statements about her clothing and body.</p><p>The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reviewed Nelson's claims in the case and in December granted her the right to sue under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.</p><p>The suit claims sexual harassment, gender discrimination, hostile work environment, assault and battery, false imprisonment, retaliation, invasion of privacy, outrageous conduct, negligent supervision and retention.</p><p>Nelson is requesting pay for lost income, damages for mental and emotional distress and any other award that a jury determines. </p><p>No trial date has been set in the criminal case. The other civil suits against Boisot are also pending.</p><p>Reach Stephanie Taylor at stephanie.taylor@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0210.</p>